


Exactly Like Footloose

by Movie_Riggs



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: AU, Briefly appealing to the Tony/May ship because why not, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Long after Infinity War, Lots of dancing and Star Wars, Peter being a big brother to Peter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-06-04 18:47:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15153359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Movie_Riggs/pseuds/Movie_Riggs
Summary: The Guardians like to come visit the Avengers when they happen to be passing through that side of the universe. Specifically, they like to make themselves comfortable in the Parker apartment.ORQuill helps Peter get the girl.





	Exactly Like Footloose

**Author's Note:**

> This almost turned into a full-blown Footloose AU but I'm notorious for not handling multi-chapter fics well (as in: I never update them) so instead I present you with this.

Ever since defeating Thanos and reversing the effects of the gauntlet, the Guardians of the Galaxy made a habit of dropping by Earth to visit the Avengers once in a while. Often they would drop by the base in upstate New York, often accompanied by Thor and his squad. There was plenty of room for them there, after all, and though he had once sworn off returning to Earth, Peter had a lot to catch up on and was starting to enjoy the visits. 

Okay, he especially enjoyed hanging out with the other Peter, but he played it off like he just wanted to reminisce about movies that were now thirty years old. The other Guardians bought this excuse. All except Mantis. Once, after Peter went off swinging because it was his curfew, Quill stood looking after him fondly. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

"You feel...brotherly affection for the funny little bug boy."

Quill jumped in surprise at Mantis' touch and voice, giving her a look that she didn't pick up on. "That's not true," he said. _Crap, is that true?_

Apparently it was. Because Quill started to make his visits more about Peter than about any of the other Avengers. 

One day, as their conversation was drifting casually to how different real spaceships were compared to the Millenium Falcon, Peter casually let it slip that there were now EIGHT whole Star Wars movies, and Quill's eyes are bulging. 

"How could you not have told me this sooner?!" he exclaimed.

Peter nods eccentrically, adding, "Not only that, but there's two spinoff movies and two animated TV shows..."

Quill placed both hands on Peter's shoulders and looked at him seriously. "Listen to me very carefully, Parker...I _must_ see everything Star Wars-related that I've missed since 1988."

So, the question then becomes: how can Quill watch all the Star Wars movies?

Peter has one idea. He's not sure how well it's going to work. 

He decides to cut patrol short one evening in order to wash the dishes. No harm in buttering her up a little bit. 

"Hey, Aunt May!" he says sweetly as she walks into the apartment. 

"Hey, Pete," she sighs. "What a day I've just had."

"I'll bet," Peter nodded, taking the groceries out of her hands. "No worries, I did the dishes for you."

Without missing a beat, May sat down on the couch and asked, "What is it you want, Pete?"

Peter gulped. He hated how she could see right through him. "Uh, well, the thing is...I was kind of wondering if I could have some friends over tomorrow night."

"Of course," May said. "You know Ned and MJ are always welcome."

"Well, they'll be here," Peter agreed. _Like I could keep them away when they hear a spaceman is coming over._ "But I wanted to make sure it was cool if a new friend of mine comes over."

May turned to look at him curiously. It wasn't that she doubted Peter's social life, but he wasn't exactly known for surrounding himself with a ton of people. "Oh yeah? Who's this new friend? Someone at school?"

"Not exactly," Peter explained. "He's kind of...a Guardian."

"Guardian?"

"Yeah, like, as in...'helped me and the Avengers save the world kind of Guardian.'"

May raised her brow. " _Two_ superheroes under my roof at one time?" 

Peter knew she still hated that he put himself in so much danger so often. But at this point, she was willing to admit she was proud of Spider-Man, too. 

"Okay," May decided. "Bring him on over. We'll order pizzas. What's his name?"

"Peter."

"Bullshit."

"No, it's really Peter."

 

And that was how Peter Quill found himself in Peter Parker's apartment the next evening. Ned and MJ were already there, sitting on the couch, the latter with a book in her hands. 

"Come on in," Peter said. "Meet my friends. Ned and MJ, this is also Peter."

"But you can call me Star-Lord," Quill interrupted. 

Ned hurriedly stood to attention. "Yes sir!"

MJ barely glanced up. "Lame."

Aunt May came into the kitchen from her bedroom. "The pizzas will be here any minute now...oh! This must be him!"

She paused as she got a better look at Quill. "Peter," she blushed. "You didn't tell me your friend was so handsome."

Quill grinned and kissed May's hand. "Well, I don't like to brag," he said smoothly. "But one of my many nicknames on Xandar is 'Star-Lord the Incredibly Good-looking.'"

"Okay, that's enough of that!" Peter declared, shoving Quill forward. "Why don't you sit down?"

Quill sat in the chair nearest to the couch. Ned instantly leaned forward, peppering him with questions. "Why do they call you Star-Lord? Can you control stars? Is this your real form or do you really look more like a lizard? Is that jacket from space? Are those blasters? Can I try one out?"

Quill shrugged, presenting Ned with one of his guns. "Sure..."

"Nope!" Peter said quickly, knocking the gun away with one hand while balancing DVDs in the other. "No blasting in the apartment!"

He knelt down next to the TV. "Okay, so we're gonna start with The Phantom Menace, which admittedly, is not a great place to start, but..."

There was a knock at the door and a familiar voice called, "Stark Delivery Services!"

Biting her lip like a schoolgirl, May rushed to the door and opened it up. Tony Stark held four pizzas in his arms. "Ma'am, I understand you ordered two cheese, one pepperoni, and one veggie-lovers?"

"That is correct, sir," May said, dropping a kiss on his cheek as she let him in. And inadvertently letting in a shirtless gray-skinned man, a woman with antenna, a tree and a raccoon. "What the hell?"

"Relax, they're cool," Tony assured her. 

May didn't relax. "They're 'cool?' What's that supposed to mean?"

"They missed their buddy and they've never seen Star Wars, I figured it wouldn't be that big of a deal..."

"Not that big of a deal?!" May repeated, her face comically aghast. "Tony, they're everywhere! What are they?! Is that a raccoon?"

"Hey, watch what you call me!" Rocket spat grumpily. 

May's eyes widened as the would-be animal talked. Rocket gave her a look. "Oh yeah, big surprise! The furry little creature has feelings!"

"I don't think that's what's surprising her, Rocket," Peter said, slightly nervous but admittedly excited to see all the Guardians in his home. 

While May tried not to panic and Tony assured her that even if the visitors did make a mess, he could have a cleaning crew in and out in no time the next morning, more introductions were made. 

"Now _these_ guys look like aliens!" Ned grinned. "Is this tree alive?"

"I am Groot!" Groot said, barely looking up from his video game.

Ned puffed out his chest proudly. " _I_ am Ned!"

Groot looked up for real this time. "I am Groot?"

"I am Ned!"

"I am Groot!"

"I am Ned!"

"I am Groot!"

The conversation seemingly over, Groot returned to his game. Ned smiled at Peter. "I think I just made some real progress!"

Even MJ had closed her book and was studying the newcomers closely. "What do you do?" she asked Mantis. 

"If I touch someone, I can feel their emotions," Mantis explained routinely. She reached out and grasped MJ's arm. "Oh...you feel passionate."

MJ frowned. "Passionate?"

"About...strange things I do not understand. De-cath-lon? Pol-i-tics? And..." Mantis' eyes widened and she glanced at Peter with a wide smile. " _Oh!_ And him!"

MJ instantly jerked her arm away. Peter remained oblivious to the conversation as he rushed to bring chairs from the kitchen table into the living room so that everyone would have a place to sit. "Never touch me again," she ordered. 

"AHA! YES!" a deep voice cried victoriously. 

Everyone turned to see Drax tearing into a bag of popcorn. "I have discovered the famous Terran snack the one called Wilson introduced us to at the compound!" He began munching loudly. 

"No, no! Drax!" Peter said as Tony planted his face in one palm in exasperation. "You have to pop it first, Drax! You have to put it in the microwave!"

 

Drax eventually stopped his not-popcorn charade, but all of the Guardians save for Quill seemed quite disturbed the longer the Star Wars marathon went on. 

"That robot is totally bogus," Rocket said. "Look at it! Thinks it's so cool! That's not how you fix a spaceship, you overweight tin can!"

"Why is the whiny one called Skywalker? He hasn't walked in the skies even once so far!" Drax pointed out.

"I am Groot," Groot complained.

"Whoa, Skywalker's got a metal arm, now?" Rocket grinned. "Suddenly I'm enjoying this."

Well, maybe Quill was a _little_ disturbed. "This is nothing like the Star Wars I remember," he said. "These aren't anywhere as good as the first three."

"Welcome to the future," Ned muttered.

They made it through A New Hope before sleep began to overcome them. Tony and May had long since retired to her room. Groot drifted off, growing roots for the sole purpose of steadying himself so he could sleep in a sitting position. Rocket curled up on the floor. Ned and Drax began to snore. Mantis' large eyes blinked closed. Peter reached for the last slice of cheese pizza about the same time as MJ. Their hands brushed. 

"Sorry," Peter said, instantly pulling back. "You can have it."

"Thanks," MJ smirked, taking it. Some people might have offered it back to Peter in the name of good manners, but not her. 

Peter liked that about her.

Soon, MJ was asleep on the couch, the unfinished slice still in her hand. 

Peter was about to drift off as well, when a dull orange glow suddenly came from the chair nearby. 

"What're you doing?"

Quill instantly closed the vibranium orb (one of six Shuri had created for the purpose of carrying the Infinity Stones; Tony had one as well), and the light of the Soul Stone vanished. 

"Nothing," he excused. "Just thinking."

Peter sat up. He recalled how Quill had demanded the Guardians be given the Soul Stone whenever they were splitting up the gems after Thanos' defeat. He didn't care who got what stone, just as long as the orange one was his. Peter didn't know a ton about it, but he knew Quill's girlfriend died so that Thanos could have the stone. Gamora was not a name the Guardians tended to mention often after that day.

"You don't talk about her much," Peter said.

Quill pocketed the orb and nodded. "Yeah, well, she probably wouldn't want me to."

"She was like that?" Peter asked. "The strong and silent type? Kept to herself?"

A half-grin crossed Quill's face. "You familiar with that?"

Peter glanced at MJ. "A little."

"I was gonna say, she reminds me a little of Gamora," Quill said. "Didn't know she was your girl, though."

"She's not," Peter admitted. "I mean...we were getting close. I think. Then Thanos happened, and when I came back, I wasn't in any sort of shape to pick up where we left off. I don't think either of us want to be with anyone else. I _know_ I don't. It's just...I don't really know how to...tell her. I'm not good with that sort of stuff."

"Well," Quill said, the grin now full. "There's one sure-fire way to win over a girl: dancing."

Peter fought off a chuckle at the very idea. "Yeah, right. MJ's not a dancer."

Quill tossed his shoulders. "Neither was Gamora. Not at first."

"Okay, then more to the point: _I'm_ not a dancer."

"C'mon, everybody's a dancer," Quill insisted. "Some people just don't know how."

Peter's eyes were suddenly glued to the ground. "Would you...um...like, show me? A few moves?"

Quill smiled. "Kid, I'll show you more than just a few. I've got moves that'll make any girl spread her legs for you."

"What? Ugh!" Peter grimaced. "That's...wildly inappropriate!"

"Yep," Quill agreed. He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. "Gamora used to say that, too. She got used to it, though."

The last thing Peter heard the older Peter say before he fell asleep was a soft, barely audible, "Damn it, anyway. I told her to go right."

 

The next morning, Peter awoke to the smell of donuts. Happy's presence in the kitchen meant he had brought them with him. 

The Guardians indulged in the food, and afterward Tony called in DUM-E to mop the floor. 

Happy offered to drive Ned and MJ home, and the second they were out the door, Quill turned to Peter with a grin. 

"Alright! We got rid of them. Time to learn you some moves, my insect-loving protege."

"Arachnid," Peter corrected. 

" _My_ protege," Tony added. "And what's this about moves?"

Peter bowed his head sheepishly. "I, uh...want to learn how to dance, and Quill's gonna show me."

May's face lit up. "Oh, how fun!" Then she gave Peter a look. "You know, you can always ask me for that sort of thing! Your aunt can get her groove on when she wants to."

"I don't ask you because you tend to say things like that," Peter told her. 

Quill, meanwhile, was getting a crafty look in his eyes. "This is perfect," he declared. "A lot of these dances require a partner, anyway. Miss May, if you'll join me?"

"No, she won't!" Tony cut in, but May was already standing up gleefully. "Oh, sure I will!" she said. "Don't be jealous, Tony."

From his jacket, Quill took out a small black object. "Don't worry, I'll handle the music."

"What is that?" Peter frowned. 

Quill displayed his item proudly. "What? Surprised? That's right, even in outer space, we keep up with Earth's technology. This baby has over three hundred songs on it."

"Oh, dear God," Tony groaned, visibly in pain at the sight of a Zune. 

Thankfully, May brought out her stereo. 

Peter watched as Quill and May spun about the living room, but about the time Quill dipped her, both he and Tony had had enough of that. 

"Fine," Quill said. "How about I show you how to free-style?"

"You still haven't told him about the dance-off to save the galaxy!" Drax said from the kitchen, continuing his apparent goal to eat all of the Parker's food while Rocket tinkered with DUM-E.

"That was nothing," Quill said, pretending to be humble. "But, I _did_ single-handedly save the galaxy."

"Single-handedly, my ass," Rocket said. "You just shook your hips about like an idiot. _I'm_ the one who shot open Ronan's hammer."

"And we all held the Power Stone," Drax pointed out. 

"I didn't," Mantis reminded them. "At the time, I was still being an ugly pet for a living planet."

"I don't know what any of that means," May said, letting go of Quill and returning to her spot on Tony's lap. "But go ahead. Show Peter some solo moves."

So, Quill did just that. Peter struggled at first, especially with all the eyes watching him. But Quill was adamant that this would help him impress MJ, so he was willing to try it. 

_It'll be exactly like Footloose._

 

It was later that evening that May approached him as he was at his desk doing homework. 

"So...any particular reason why you spent all morning learning dance moves?"

Peter shrugged. "I don't know. I just think...it's something everyone should know how to do. Just in case."

"Hmhm," May hummed. "Like just in case you want to show off at a certain _school_ dance next weekend?"

Peter's cheeks turned red, and he didn't reply.

 

"Next weekend" became "this weekend" and finally "today." Peter, Ned and MJ went to their senior Homecoming dance together. Ned had been too scared to ask Betty Brant, but he was still planning on sharing a slow dance or two with her tonight. 

"Have fun," May bid them as she dropped them off. "And Peter. Dance good, okay? You've got this."

Peter gave her a look, making sure MJ hadn't heard. She was already out of the car, following Ned, so he was in the clear. 

Inside, they sat down at one of the many round white foldout tables with sodas and watched the popular kids out on the dance floor. 

"Okay," Ned said, spotting Betty. "I'm going in."

"Get some, Leeds!" MJ called after him encouragingly. 

She turned to Peter, who was eyeing the dance floor, secretly trying to psych himself into going out there. 

"Guess it's just you and me, Parker," MJ said. 

"Yeah," Peter nodded. "Do you...uh, wanna dance?"

MJ raised her brow. "Is that even a question?"

Peter shrugged. "Just thought I'd offer."

If MJ wasn't going to dance, what the hell was the point?

_"Everybody's a dancer,"_ Quill's voice echoed in his head. _"Some people just don't know how."_

But maybe if he showed her that _he_ knew how...

"I'll be right back," he said. 

_Look out, Kevin Bacon, because here comes Peter Parker._

 

Everyone was surprised when he started dancing. Hell, even after all his preparation, Peter himself was surprised. But his confidence grew exponentially the longer he did it. It was just him, in the crowd, with a fast song playing. Flash had nothing on the moves Quill had taught him, even if they were a little old-fashioned. 

_I'm freaking Spider-Man_ , Peter thought. _Why stop at those moves?_

That's when he did a back-flip, and several people around him cheered and shouted things like, "Way to go, Parker!" and "Didn't know you had it in you!" He spotted Ned and Betty across the gym. Both were pointing and clapping at him.

When the song ended, he left the dance floor, leaving behind calls of "Hey, come on back!" and "Where you going, man?" from the likes of Abe and Charles. 

MJ was staring at him like she didn't recognize him. "You...danced," she stated slowly, as if trying to comprehend it. 

"Yeah," Peter smiled excitedly, loosening his tie. "Didn't even break a sweat, either!"

MJ didn't reply.

A slow song started playing. Peter looked back onto the dance floor. Ned and Betty, among many others, were coupling up. 

"Hey, how about we dance? Together?" he asked for the second time that night. 

"How about we don't?" MJ said flatly. 

"C'mon!" Peter tried once more, cheerfully tugging at her hand. 

MJ jerked it away. "No, Peter!"

"Why not?"

"I don't dance!"

"Everybody dances! Some people just don't know how! But I can show you how. It's not that hard! Just trust me!"

Annoyed, MJ stood up and glared at him. "I. Don't. Dance."

Then she walked away from the table and towards the gym's back door.

Stubbornly, Peter followed.

_It'll be like Footloose. Just keep trying._

 

He was worried he would have to chase her down, but she was standing with her head in her hands, leaning against the wall, just outside the doors. She gave him one of her classic frowns when he approached her. 

"What the hell was that?" she demanded. 

Peter shrugged. "It was harmless, is what it was."

"It was totally _not_ harmless, actually!" MJ retorted. "You know me, Peter! You know I don't dance! Why would you try to make me? In front of everybody?"

"No one was watching us," Peter said. 

"Oh, yeah? Because everyone was watching you when you did a freaking back-flip just to show up Flash! You don't dance either, Peter. What the hell came over you?"

Peter sighed and ran his fingers through his hair (which had become unkempt after the aforementioned back-flip). 

"I...okay, I know you don't like big social events like this. I don't either. I just thought maybe we could try to have fun for once."

"For your information, I _do_ have fun," MJ told him. "I love sitting at a table, drinking soda like a couple of loners. Do you not? Is that what this is about? You want to start hanging out with those other guys instead of me?"

"Of course not!" Peter replied instantly. 

"Then why?"

"Because..." he lowered his eyes toward the ground. Suddenly his shoes were the most interesting thing he could stare at. "Because I thought maybe it would impress you."

MJ was silent for a beat, then she simply said, "Oh."

Peter sighed heavily, the stress of much more than teen drama burdening him. "I fucking hate Thanos," he said. "That stupid purple jerk ruined our year. _That_ was our year. Mine and yours."

Suddenly, MJ's hand slipped into his, and she squeezed gently. "Why do we keep avoiding this?" she asked aloud, not making eye contact. "I liked you before you could dance. Before Thanos. Before Spider-Man."

"Really?" That went all the way back to freshman year. Peter had never realized MJ liked him all the way back then. "Well...I liked you before I could dance and before Thanos. Before Spider-Man, I thought you hated me."

"I still hate you," MJ said. "But I've never hate-hated you."

"Love-hate?" Peter offered with a smile. 

"As long as I don't have to say it out loud," MJ answered. 

Swallowing nervously, Peter took the hand that wasn't in hers and moved it to her waist. "Are you sure you don't wanna dance?" he asked. "Maybe just once? While no one's watching?"

MJ bit her lip, looking into his eyes. "If you tell anyone, I'll kill you."

Peter grinned. "That's a yes."

_But then I fooled around and fell in love_

_I fooled around and fell in love_

Both teens heads perked up at the lyrics that seemed to be coming from nowhere. 

"What the hell is that?" 

"Did you change ringtones on me?"

"Definitely not."

Peter's spider-sense suddenly went off, and he turned around to see Quill hunched over in the shadows, playing a song on his Zune.

"Dude!" Peter exclaimed. In response, there was a popcorn-like crunch, and he saw that Drax was also standing next to Quill. " _Dude!_  How long have you guys been standing there?!"

"The entire time," Drax said simply. 

"How? Why?"

"I've mastered the art of standing...so incredibly still...that--"

Quill cut his partner-in-crime off by holding up the Zune. "I just thought you two could use a little music. You know, to help with the moment."

"Okay, but you're _not_ helping!" Peter whispered frantically, eyes wide. "You're _ruining_ the moment!"

MJ's face was a little red, but as much as she wanted to be embarrassed, it was hilarious to see Peter so distraught. 

"He's doing fine," she assured Quill. "Your dance moves didn't help much. But he's doing fine."

"Alright!" Quill grinned, giving Peter a thumbs-up. "That means my work here is done!"

As Quill walked away, Drax continued to stand in the shadows. 

"I can clearly see you, man," Peter insisted. "You're eating popcorn."

"But my movement...is so slow..."

"Drax!" Quill called. "C'mon, man!"

"Damn it. Fine." Drax stomped away in disappointment. 

Peter turned back to MJ, who was giggling in spite of everything. 

"It's not funny," Peter said, even as his own laughter broke through. "Okay, it's kind of funny."

Though they were no longer attempting to dance, the couple was still very close together. Peter put both hands back on her waist. "So...I was doing fine?"

"You're about to do a lot more than fine," MJ smirked. "Shut up and kiss me, Spidey."

"I...okay."

_Not quite like Footloose. But close enough._


End file.
